Massachusetts has 3.1 million acres of forest covering about 60% of the state. About 2 million acres of that forest land is owned by private landowners. Our forests are essential to: protect wildlife habitat; provide clean air and water; provide forest products that we all use; provide economic benefits and jobs sustained by the forest economy; and to help mitigate climate change. Forests in Massachusetts sequester 15% of the state’s annual carbon emissions annually but with good forest management we could increase that to as much as 25% while greatly reducing our use of imported fossil fuels making it easier to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Massachusetts is losing 7,000 acres of forestland/year to development. This deforestation releases more than 7 million tons of CO2 every year while also reducing future CO2 sequestration by reducing the total amount of forest land in the commonwealth. In addition, over 75% of Massachusetts forests have been degraded or are at risk for significant decline by many insects and diseases as well as other agents including destructive storms. As a result, our forests are releasing more than 4 million tons of carbon every year as more trees decline and die reducing net growth and decreasing carbon sequestration rates. Together, CO2 emissions from deforestation and forest decline total 11 million tons which is equivalent to the CO2 emissions from 2.4 million vehicles.
Thus, it is not enough to protect forest land, we must also manage it. Good silvicultural practices such as improvement cuttings can: double the growth rate of the healthier and higher quality trees; provide for a more diverse forest that is less susceptible to severe tree mortality from insect pests and tree diseases; limit the impact on water quality from catastrophic storms by providing for a more diverse age structure; and provide for more diverse wildlife habitat.
The purpose of the New Forestry Deal is to encourage Massachusetts landowners to keep their land in forest rather than developing it and to provide more incentives to improve the health and productivity of their forest land. Development of Massachusetts forest industries will also be encouraged to create many new jobs and produce a variety of forest products such as lumber, wood pellets, and firewood, as well as wood chips for local wood pellet plants, combined heat and power biomass power plants, and greenhouses.
Biomass is, in essence, stored solar energy and is a byproduct of our forestry operations which allows us to grow more high quality saw timber which is the main product. Increased markets for forest biomass have produced more forest improvement cuttings which help landowners: manage their woodlots to a high standard by greatly improving timber quality and species composition; improve wildlife habitat; generates income; increases property values as well as timber values; and encourages landowners to keep their land in forest. Biomass markets and improvement cuttings also provide many real green jobs right up the wood supply chain and help to provide many different forest products for consumers and a source of clean locally produced renewable energy. The use of wood for energy is carbon neutral as long as the forests are growing faster than they are being cut. Here in Massachusetts, forests are growing about five times faster than they are being cut. There are numerous studies that show the great carbon benefits of biomass utilization.
The Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act mandates steady reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. Since forests cover 60% of Massachusetts and are a significant sink for CO2 emissions, our forests can play a major role in achieving the mandated goals. We should always ensure that public investments prioritize the lowest cost, lowest carbon options to combat and cope with our changing climate. The least expensive way, by far, is by promoting good forestry, protecting forests from development, and supporting clean, renewable, and locally produced biomass energy.
The “New Forestry Deal for Massachusetts Forest Landowners” will help protect and improve our forests; rebuild our local forest economy; and create thousands of new jobs in forestry and forest industry in communities across the state.
The forests of Massachusetts have great potential but for many decades optimum forest growth has been hindered by a failure of good forest policy by our state forestry agencies. So, let us begin the massive job of forest restoration by passing HD.1450. https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/HD1450
Mike Leonard is a consulting forester from North Quabbin Forestry — www.northquabbinforestry.com — in Petersham.